Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what data his Department holds on a potential correlation between properties being off the gas grid and having poor access to broadband.

Across Great Britain in 2021, an estimated 15 percent of domestic properties were not connected to the gas grid. This equates to around 4,393,000 properties. The devolved administrations have a higher percentage of properties not connected to the gas grid as in Scotland and Wales it is 19% each, compared to 15% in England.

Ofcom Connected Nations 2022 states that around 80,000 premises (0.3%) in the UK do not have access to a decent broadband service via either a fixed or wireless network. This figure continues to decrease year on year (down from 123,000 the previous year). The devolved administrations have a higher percentage of premises eligible for the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) as in Scotland and Wales 0.7% of premises are eligible, compared to 0.15% in England.

While the Department does not have data to show whether properties that are not connected to the gas grid are the same as those eligible for the broadband USO, we know that Scotland and Wales are disproportionately affected in both cases.